The Denver Nuggets are in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, as they hope to win their second championship in three years.
Any team with Nikola Jokić will always have a chance to go the distance, but they might need to make a big move if they fall short again. If they do, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus predicts that the Nuggets will target Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant to pair with Jokic.
“The Nuggets have arguably the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić, which makes up for many of the team’s flaws,” Pincus said. “Will it be enough this year for another title?”
Pincus continued, writing about how the Nuggets should trade depth for star power. “Denver has been stuck in the luxury tax, above the first apron, with limited flexibility just below the second apron. The team has struggled to maintain its level of experienced veteran talent, losing Bruce Brown Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in subsequent seasons. If Denver doesn’t win this year, should it look to add another high-level, expensive star at the cost of depth—like Durant for Porter, Strawther, Nnaji, Šarić and others?”
Durant played for the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise for nine seasons, helping them get to the NBA Finals in 2012 and winning league MVP in 2014. KD could have a chance to reunite with Russell Westbrook in the Mile High City, perhaps giving the former superstar duo another shot at winning a ring together.
Pairing Durant with Jokić is a scary thought, to say the least. Jokić commands so much attention in the painted area, which would give Durant even more room to get shots up inside and behind the arc.
Durant has proven he has no issue with letting his other teammates cook to begin the game and then taking over when the game slows down, which should allow Jokić to continue to run the offense as usual. It’s hard to think of many other teams who could beat the Nuggets if they pulled this deal off.
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